Am I a good candidate for 'Coolsculpting'? (photos)

I used to be very overweight. I currently weigh about 134 lbs at 5'6". I am about 10-15 lbs away from my ideal weight. However, I look heavier than that because it has been very difficult to lose weight from my midsection through diet and exercise. I do intend to continue to eat healthy and exercise. Also, I don't have the most elastic skin... but it has been improving. Am I a candidate? But more importantly, will it make the condition of my skin elasticity worse? Thank you.

Doctor Answers 14

Coolsculpting candidate?

October 25th, 2016

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You have loose skin from your wait loss. Cool sculpting will only go a certain ways to help you...your particular issue is skin laxity that needs to be addressed. Talk to a plastic surgeon first to get the best advice. Hope this helps.

Because of skin laxity, Coolsculpting won't give you the results you want and it looks like you may need skin removal surgery to improve the looseness. You may be a candidate for a tummy tuck and liposuction. I would recommend VASER Hi Def liposuction. Combined with ThermiRF/ultrasound and fat grafting to help with fat removal, contouring, skin tightening and toning, VASER can sculpt and contour the body. I recommend getting a consultation with a hi-def physique expert to go over your options. Best, Dr. Emer

Surgery would be better, but coolsculpting could help somewhat

October 25th, 2016

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Coolsculpting can help you loose fat in your abdominal area, however it will not tighten the skin. Ideally you would be best suited with an abdominoplasty, but if you do not have time or want to go through with a surgical procedure coolsculpting can offer some improvement.

Coolsculpting Treatments

October 25th, 2016

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Thank you for posting photos and congrats on your weight loss! I understand your concern regarding the laxity in your skin. Coolsculpting is a wonderful treatment for getting rid of stubborn areas of fat. An in person consult would be best to better evaluate you, however I do think your ideal results would come from surgery. You would likely need multiple Coolsculpting treatments and it would not address the excess skin. I would be happy to see you in my office for a complimentary consultation to discuss your options in achieving your body goals.

Loose skin with fat deposits

October 25th, 2016

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I think there is some fat that can be treated but there is also tremendously loose skin. It will make the skin look worse with treatments. Ideally, you should have surgery for this. If you don't want surgery, you have to be ok with the loose skin issue.

Can CoolSculpting make my skin laxity worse? Am I a good candidate for CoolSculpting.

October 25th, 2016

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Based on your photos it is possible you may have good amount of abdominal fat which can be treated with CoolSculpting. The abdominal area below your belly button looks more saggy and hence the laxity might either remain the same or slightly more prominent after treating the fat in that area. The best thing would be to find a certified CoolSculpting provider and have them evaluate you. If the skin laxity is more prominent than fat content on your abdomen you may not be an ideal candidate for CoolSculpting.

Cool sculpting candidate

October 24th, 2016

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I'm concerned about your skin elasticity. On your photos I see an overhang of skin on the lower abdomen as well as fairly significant stretch marks. Combined with your weight loss this tells me you would likely be disappointed with the outcome of Coolsculpting. While this device can get rid of fat, it doesn't result in significant skin tightening. As I tell patients with skin excess, removing excess fat (CoolSculplting, liposuction, etc.) will leave you looking deflated. Save your money and consider an abdominoplasty as I think you'll have a better long term result. See a board certified plastic surgeon and discuss your options in person.

Am I a candidate for CoolSculpting

October 24th, 2016

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CoolSculpting is a body contouring/fat reduction procedure. Based on the photos and your description, you seem to have skin laxity in addition to stubborn pockets of fat. While CoolSculpting will help with the fat, it may actually make the skin laxity worse. You probably want to consider either combination treatment with CoolSculpting and another device (radiofrequency or ultrasound based) to tighten the skin. Your best option though maybe surgery. I hope this helps.

CoolSculpting and Loose Skin

November 10th, 2016

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First, congratulations on your weight loss! It sounds like you've been working hard, and your goal is in sight. You should certainly be proud of yourself. At this point, I'm not sure that you're a good candidate for CoolSculpting. I say this because you have already alluded to concerns about your skin not being elastic. Because the improvements to your contours depend on the skin "snapping back," CoolSculpting may not yield the results you want. That said, I recommend visiting a board-certified plastic surgeon who also offers CoolSculpting. During your consultation, you can keep your options open and work together to make the right decision for you.

Coolsculpting and skin laxity

November 2nd, 2016

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Coolsculpting will help with the reduction of pinchable fat. Unfortunately it will not help with the skin laxity you are talking about. Coolsculpting will not affect the laxity of your skin in a negative way, but it also not help it. My suggestions is to have a in person consult with a board certified Dermatologist and or Plastic Surgeon to see what will be the best solution for you given your desired outcome.

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